From the moment we set foot beyond that cave
And gazed into the light for the first time
The foundation of reality began to unfold
As if born again into a new world
Yet even as we overcame the deception
Imposed upon us against our will
The feeling of helplessness remains
For in the irony of it all, I am blind once again
Perhaps this is the work of fate - an inevitable consequence
So now I wander lost; a phantom cursed to linger in this realm
Following the course that lies ahead
Searching for a way back home

Through winding roads
Of earth and stone
To scar the soil
Over which I roam

Through twisted paths
By thorn and branch
To score these hands
And stain the land

This is the price that I pay
To take a gamble with faith
And now resigned to this fate
To have no sight of the way

As my vision did fade
So does the prospect of salvation grow dim
All sense of hope decays
Leaving me to suffer from this affliction alone
Doomed to carry these burdens
Withering slowly in desolation
I can only wonder whether things would have been better
If I had been left in the dark

I reject this notion
Of a predestined tale
That we are bound to walk on
Such narrow pedestrian trails

And like the shadows that passed above
I sense a presence from far beyond
The illusion begat to overcome
A prelude to convalesce

Behold!
The light returns
Revealing what I've yearned
Oh!
How the mountain shook
As if to welcome this hermit home

And so I finally understood the message
Behind the lessons learned
Emerging from my isolation enlightened and finally redeemed
Although it was chance that brought me back
To this cave from whence I came
It was choice that led me to set foot inside
Upon entering those halls that once held me prisoner
I now rejoiced
Having shed the veil that formerly shaded my eyes
As I looked among those who had taken place
Along the chains in our absence
I reached out and called for them to join me

"The lion has come
My children are near
I have grown old
The hour approaches
This is our morning
A new day begins
Now arise!
Arise . . ."